The Puppet Master
by Faithless Beelze
Summary: The Seraphim, a being symbolizing destruction in many cultures, as appeared in the sky with a warning and left, chasing after Zeromus. It is now up to the Lunarians and a native Alchemist to stop Uroboros. Meanwhile, Cecil and Co. have their own problem
1. Reunited

Damcyan Castle Ruins

"There is ruble everywhere. It's so dirty. It's been three months and it still smells of blood and explosive. Damnit, Edward! Damcyan will not ever be like it was in the past! How can he keep that smile? Naive little prince. I will never call him king! I doubt anyone here ever will. The only good thing about him is the allies he gave us with Baron. Aw crap he's me not doing anything," Maxim thought quietly to himself.

"Maxim, you have got to stop loafing around if you want Damcyan to built back up. It's going to be bigger and better than before!" Edward was saying exitedly.

"Hmph!" Maxim muttered. A second voice entered his head. This voice he never heard before. The voice led Maxim's eyes to the pick-ax in his hand and then back up to Edward…

Baron Throne Room

"Sir! We have not found any trace of him yet, sir!" A soldier reporting back to Cecil.

Sigh, "You are dismissed soldier!" Cecil said with a worrisome tone in his voice. It was hidden from the soldier, but Rosa heard it.

"Cecil what's wrong? Kain's disappearance is upsetting you more than it should," Rosa said trying to cheer up her husband.

"Uhh…it's nothing. I just—" The throne doors where slammed open! Rydia was standing there panting. The soldier was knocked on the ground.

"What's wrong Rydia?" Cecil asked excitedly.

"It's…Edward. He's…been killed!" She said in short breathes.

What?" Cecil and Rosa yelled in unison.

"I went to help him build. I figured Titan could move the big stuff. But, when I got there, he was on the ground dead! A pick-ax went though his chest! Phoenix Down won't fix that!" She caught her breath and practically screamed the last part.

"We will take an airship to Damcyan," Cecil said more as an order then a suggestion.

"I'll take Bahumut and meet you there," Rydia said rushing out the doors.

Cecil's Airship

"Rosa, don't look so sad for him. He's back with Anna. He back with his love and his parents. Tellah is with him too. He's reunited with his loved ones," Cecil said to his wife.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Rosa said still with the depressed look on her face.

"That was more for me then her, though," Cecil thought to himself.

Damcyan Ruins

This place is a mess. Edward would really need Titan's help if he where still alive.

"Hello, Rydia!" A familiar voice from the shadows said behind her.

"You!" Rydia exclaimed.

"Yes, it is me! Did you know Edward did not recognize me? That was rude! He deserved the pick-ax to the heart!" The voice said.

"Yo…you did this! You killed him!" Rydia muttered out.

"No, no I did not. I just merely pulled the strings and the puppet did it. For once I am the puppet master and they are the puppets!" He said and then vanished in the shadows.

Cecil and Rosa came in at that moment. They saw Rydia on her knees, weeping. Rosa rushed over and wrapped her arm around her like a mother would.

"Did you see him? Did you not see it!" Rydia exclaimed.

"What? What was we suppose to see?" Cecil asked in a calm voice.

"It was him! It was Kain!" Rydia exclaimed and then broke down again.


	2. Another King

Eblan Castle

"Yo! I'm bored, do something funny!" Edge demanded of a jester.

"Uhh…wait here a minute and I'll get a mirror," The jester and left.

"Joy he's going to do something funny with a mirror," Edge squalled like a little kid and clapped his hands together in the same fashion.

Damcyan Castle Ruins

"…Kain did this." Cecil is in shock to hear that his friend growing up killed the king of Damcyan. This king, Edward helped Cecil cure Rosa and get threw a cave with a strong Magnetic Pull.

"Hey! Kain did not kill him! I did it! I killed him!" This voice erupted from behind. It was a blue haired man. He looked a little under six foot. He was very muscular. He wore a sad look in his green eyes. "I, Maxim, killed Edward the Bard!"

"You bastard!" Rydia yelled at the man! "He did not deserve this!"

"'Deserve this' No one deserves the right to life! Life is something you work towards. Everyone has it wrong. Death is a reprieve. Living in this world for more then a week, seeing everything this world has! Everyone deserves death!" Maxim yelled at Rydia!

"I don't see why you are getting so up set for anyway Rydia. I thought you like another king," A voice said coolly behind them. It set a chill down everyone's spine, including Maxim.

Eblan Castle

"WHAAAACHUU!" Edge sneezed all over his right hand man.

"Uhh…ya know that means someone is talking behind your back," The man said wiping snot from himself.

"It must be Rydia! Ya know she wants me," Edge said with a grin.

"Of course, Sir," The man said with a tone.

"Yes! To the Airship!" Edge said rising.

"Edge, look at what's in my hand!" The jester said coming into the throne room.

"Forget it now. Tell me the joke on the Airship. The Airship, Verde Chick!" Edge said rushing out the door.

Dwarvin Castle

"Yo, Ashura! Do ya know where Rydia is?" Edge said to the great summon.

"I'm here summon, not her stalker," Ashura said and shot a look at Edge with the word stalker.

"I know where she is," A squeaky voice from behind them said. "She and some other people are arguing over at the ruins of Damcyan. This blonde girl, or mabey it was a guy, I dunno. But, he got a pick ax to the chest! It was exciting, but scary!"

"What?" Edge and Ashura said in unison.

"Yea, it was so scary I almost wet my self," The dwarf went on. But by this time Edge was already out side and boarding his airship heading to Damcyan.

Damcyan Ruins

"Kain!" Cecil yelled in surprise at his old friend.

"Unsheathe your sword, we shall fight with out interruption," he said and shot a look a Rosa.

"Fine! I shall avenge Edward!" Cecil said and grabbed his sword.


	3. Boredom

Damcyan Ruins

Two people at arms, two people who have been throw hell and back together. Two people who have not seen each other for a really long time. The first time they have seen each other it was a fight to the death. Kain ran a Cecil in full force and thrust it at him. Cecil parried the blow with it.

"It's really annoying fighting left-handed to someone right handed!" Kain snarled at Cecil!

"Sorry I was born this way. Can't change who you are, can you?" Cecil said calmly.

"Only the weak oppose change!" Kain said while recovering from the parry. "You're as weak as ever, Cecil!"

He rushed a Cecil again, but this time where he lunged last time, he did his infamous !Jump move. Cecil simply cast Teleport and went to the rafters. Kain crashed into the rubble and got his spear stuck in one of Cecil's shields he left. Cecil recast Teleport and appeared beside Kain.

"Kain, I do not know what you have been doing since the moon. I do not care at this moment. All I know is that you deserve this," and with that Cecil raised his sword and sliced it across Kain's back.

"Ce-Cecil, wa-why…ha-how could," Rydia couldn't even speak.

"Look," Cecil said pointing to where Kain was. There was nothing put ash. "That was but a simple Dopple Ganger."

"How could you tell?" Rydia asked and cocked her head.

"Simple, he didn't have any teeth," Cecil said in a cocky way.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Rydia said out raged. "Something as stupid as not having teeth, told you?"

"Yea and the fact that he was weighed down by me being right handed. Kain never had a problem like that," Cecil said.

"Hrmm, well—" Rydia started.

"Hey, dumbasses! I'm stealing this blonde chick her!" Maxim said and then ran out.

"Check it out, she's getting kid napped again," Rydia said snidely.

"We've got to go—" Cecil started when there came this loud bam from outside.

Rydia and Cecil ran out to see what happened. Maxim hit his head on this outrageously decorated airship. Rydia groaned when she saw it.

"I think I know whose airship this is," Rydia groaned.

"Ohh, son of a…" Maxim raised and was rubbing his head. Rosa ran back over to Cecil and Rydia.

"Wow, just wow. That was the worst kidnapping ever," Rydia said carrying over her sidedness.

"Shut up! Who the hell parks an airship this close to a castle," Maxim said, still rubbing his head.

"I'm that guy!" Edge said while jumping off the side of the airship.

"Damn, I knew it was your airship," Rydia said, while sighing.

"Ya know you want me hunny!" Edge said while doing the finger gun thing.

"Go to hell!" Rydia shot at him.

"Hey! Have you forgotten about me? You know the guy that tried to kidnap that blonde girl there," Maxim yelled at the group.

"You can go with him to hell! _Megiddo from the heaven's, METEO!"_Rydia chanted the spell and sure enough flaming rocks rained down from the heavens and pelted Edge's airship, Edge himself, as well as Maxim.

The airship stopped hovering and crashed to the ground. Edge got up and stood there mouth wide open as his airship fell on top of Maxim.

"Rydia, dear. I think you need to work on your anger management," this motherly voice said behind them.

"Ashura! You're here too?" Rydia exclaimed at seeing Ashura.

"Yes, dear. He," she nudged at Edge "came to me to ask where you are and then this dwarf said he saw something bad happen here."

"Yea, Edward was killed. But, that's ok, his killer his under what left of the airship," Rydia said in a sadder tone.

"Well, now I and all my people on the airship get to bunk up with you guys on your airship," Edge said.

"Crap, mabey I should have thought this through," Rydia said.

"Let's head on back to the airship then," Cecil said and motioned them all to follow him.

Lunarians Cave

"Yawwwwn, hey Fouey," Golbeze said.

"What, KluYa?" FuSoYa said carrying an annoyed tone.

"I'm bored," Golbeze said.

"I know you've told me before," he said annoyed.

"Are we there yet?" Golbeze said like a little kid.

"No, I told you I don't know where 'there' is?" FuSoYa said.

"Then how—" Golbeze started.

"Shut up, just freaking Shut UP!" FuSoYa yelled at him.

And for a while Golbeze set in the corner and didn't say anything.

"Hey, Fouey. I'm bored" Golbeze said.


	4. Hate

In an open field, on the outskirts of a small town a blue haired woman napped. She napped unaware and uncaring of the events about to take place. Events that will change her route through the labyrinth of life.

She would have napped through it all if it weren't for him.

"Miho! Miho, wake up! Regal wants us both at the cathedral by the time the sun hits the northern forest," a little boy informed her.

"Whu…," Miho yawned, getting up rubbing her eyes.

"Why are you sleeping out here in the middle of nowhere for anyway?" the little boy said annoyed.

"Was I sleeping?" Miho said, almost standing on her own.

"Are you drunk?" The little boy asked even more annoyed.

"Aww Tyr you know your big sister better then that. I can totally hold my beer for another couple of hundred of, uhh…" Miho said thinking.

"What, a hundred of centimeters, mabey inches on a good day," Tyr said with a smart ass tone.

She ran over there and hugged her precise little brother tightly. "Hey would you give me a little more credit then that."

"BWaaaa! Can. Not. Breathe…" Tyr exhaled.

She let him go and took off running through the field. "HEY! The cathedral is in the other direction!" Tyr yelled after his older sister when he finally caught his breath.

"I know!" Miho yelled and kept running.

Lunarians Cave

"Whoa! Did you fell that, KluYa?" FuSoYa asked his partner.

"Uhh…sorry, I didn't know things could combust like that in space…" Golbeze said twittling his thumbs.

"No I mean the Dark Presence. It seems to get stronger as we get closer to this planet. I think it has…wait a minute. What combusted?" FuSoYa asked Golbeze.

"I totally fell that evil thing. It's so evil, we should go and uhh…make it not live no more," Golbeze said trying to confuse FuSoYa.

"What. Com. Buss. Ted." FuSoYa said one syllable at a time.

"Nothing…but just FYI stay away from the pink puffy thinks in the very bottom. You might not think there is a lot. But when you see one, oh baby should you run…I mean nothing exploded…really," Golbeze said and took off running.

Street in front of the Cathedral

I hate you Miho. I'm not going to get in trouble for you this time. When Regal asks where you are I'm going to tell him you took off running. Yea that's what I'll do. Hrmm…what's that—

Forest North of the Town

"Whoa! That was quake there huh? Wait a minute what I'm a thinking. Trees don't talk. Any way I should head into town to see if anyone else felt that…and I should stop talking to myself." Miho said and started to walk back to the town.

Whew, it's getting kind of hot and there's a lot of smoke. I wonder what happened. I'll find out over the top of this hill. Miho was thinking to her self while running now to the top of the hill.

"Oh my god!" Miho screamed when she saw here home town in flames. She took off running and screaming for anyone to come. She was nearing in tears when she heard something that stopped her dead cold.

"I hate you Miho. I hate you Miho. I hate you Miho." The voice wouldn't stop. I sounded just like Tyr. She turned around and saw the worst. It was a pitch black head with tentacles come out of everywhere. "I hate you Miho."

"Waaaaaahhh!" Miho screamed and ran off down the charred streets. Another voice came from behind.

"She's not coming again. Worthless girl," this voice was Regal. She dropped to her knees and sobbed. The beast was upon her.

"Holy Meteors from Heaven fall to the earth to cleanse the darkness! W. Meteo!" Two voices said in full synchrony.

Miho turned around and saw the beast being pelted with white stones. Further along she saw two people, one old man in a blue robe and the other in dark armour. The pelting stopped and one of the beast's tentacles rushed into rubble where the cathedral once stood and pulled out a charred and bloody body. Miho became noxious at seeing this. Then she recognized the body and threw up. It was Regal. The beast chucked the body at the two men.

"Ewww, that's sick," Golbeze said wiping the gore from his armour.

"That poor girl, she probably knew who that was," FuSoYa said in selflessness.

At hearing this, the beast turned to Miho and another tentacle ran back into the same pile of rubble, this time bringing out a little boy. The beast smirked and the fimilar voice ranged out "I hate you Miho." The beast threw the body at Miho. It fell short and hit limp in front of her.

"She's freaking out FuSoYa," Golbeze said to his friend.

"It was a tactical move, it could have easily hit her with that body," FuSoYa said solemnly.

The beast turned back toward the duo again. This time with the most evil smile ever imagined. He rose high into the sky and threw his tentacles into the town and then it started raining bodies down unto the duo. The smell of blood and charred flesh quickly felled the air.

"I can't stand it any more!" A voice with unimagined power screamed out. It was Miho and she was glowing. The glowing became bright and suddenly shot out to the beast and Miho collapsed. Golbeze and FuSoYa didn't notice, their eyes were glued to the beast.

"Did she do it? Did she take care of Zeromus without a crystal?" Gelbeze asked.

The smoke cleared and there was not sign of him. With the sign of Zeromus gone they ran over to Miho.

"Whu, what happened?" She rambled.

"It was a sudden burst of Chi Energy. It was pure emotion in a tangible form. It was so strong and pure that it killed Zeromus in one hit," FuSoYa tried to explain to her.

"I don't get it…" Miho said scrating her head.

"Do what I did and called it X-Force, an unknown power," Golbeze gave his dumbed down version of the explination.

"Okay, but who was Zeromus?" Miho said getting up.

Before anyone could answer there was a crackle of someone walking over pebbles and a voice ran out from behind "I hate you Miho."


	5. Childhood

_15 Years Ago_

"…_so you see that's what the burst of light was. She must never know. She will be a threat to all we hold dear in our beliefs." The strange doctor told my dad._

_I never heard the first part. I can't remember anything before this. My first memory was being told I was a threat and then the doctor and my dad saw I was awake and stopped talking. The trip home was oddly quiet. My mother and father kept glancing over in my direction. I'd take the quiet over what happened next. I got up late at night and noticed my parent's door was ajar and light was streaming through._

"_The uroboros?" my mother exclaimed._

"_Yea, that was the doctor said. That light was some kind of beacon--! What are doing up, honey?" My father saw me standing there in the hallway._

"_I..I had a bad dream," I told my dad._

"_Yea you probably did!" my mother said snidely._

"_Shush! You're frightening her," my dad told my mom._

"_Humph! I hope this one isn't a freak," my mom said and patted her stomach and rolled over on her side. I started to cry._

"HEY! Snap out of it and stop crying!" Golbeze said. "Jeez! If you break down after every snap of a trig, you won't last long. Come now and MOVE!"

At that a giant force came down and the street erupted into flames and rubble. Miho collected her self and caught a glimpse of the new enemy. It was strangely beautiful being with six wings, two coving its face, two to fly with, and two coving itself. Behind it was a rotating symbol that looked like a dragon eating its own tail.

"Screw the damn angel and worry more about Zeromus that still trying to kill you!" Golbeze yelled out at her.

"Hrmm…," was her only response as she looked around, but it was too late and Zeromus hit her with a peace of street.

_14 Years Ago_

"_Girl! Go and get some food for your brother!" My mother yelled at me._

_Since my first memory our relationship as being a steep decline, and when Tyr was born I became nothing more then a seven year old room mate. I can't remember the first five years of my life so I don't know what I was to her before. My dad can't stand it when she treats me like that. 'Her name is Miho, not girl' he tells her. She never listens to him._

"_Did you hear me girl! Get food for your brother!" She yelled again._

_I got up and got his favorite jar of food and handed it to her with a smile and all I got back in turn was an 'humph'._

_Dad finally came back after working all day with Regal downtown at the monastery. I liked Regal. He always had some candy to give me. I didn't have many friends growing up. I remember these two twin alchemist. There names were Elly and Jenna. I was forbid to practice alchemy. My father said it was not for me. He said if I really wanted to protect my self. I should learn the arte of swordsmanship. He always made a joke and said that I'd be so good they'd have to call it swords "person" ship. It always made me giggle. I was eleven when I got my first real sword. Elly's father made it for me from some iron deposits. It was also about this time I started to fell sorry for Tyr._

"Hey Kula, she's breathing again!" FoSoYa exclaimed when I opened my eyes.

"Jenna and Elly used to live on this street. We played in a park around that corner together. This beast as destroyed too much of my town! Your Golbeze right? I want your sword," Miho said in one quick breath.

"Uhh…you sure you can handle this? Not everyone can handle Hrunting. Handling this—"Golbeze started rambling.

"I can handle it." Miho stated calmly, but irked.

He handed the sword over to Miho. If having both shadow and holy energy coursing within the blade took her by surprise, she didn't show it. She grasped the sword in her right hand and ran towards Zeromus. When she got up to it, she swung and Zeromus evaded by flipping backwards into the air.

"You can't beat me," it said and summoned dark energy to its right hand and thrust it at Miho. She swung the Hrunting to knock the energy back at Zeromus. The blade connected with the energy and stunned her a bit, but the energy went to Zeromus.

"Heh," Zeromus smirked and teleported behind Miho. She realized it too late and was hit with the dark energy at point blank. She went flying into the nearest ruin, a collapsing building as falling where the park was. She used the Hrunting as a brace and lifted herself self up. She was struggling to get to her feet and Zeromus saw its chance. He formed a blade from the dark energy and rushed Miho.

The Seraphim said with out words "no."

_Ten Years Ago_

"_Ready to break in your new sword? I hope so, cause I'm going to summon up something fierce for you!" Jenna said. She was already opening the gate to summon before she started speaking. Crazy girl._

"_Alrighty! Let's go!" I said and grasped the sword in my right hand and my trusty Buckler in my left._

"_Tangled by all that which is intangible, come to me! Fenrir!" Jenna said and the gate opened up and out came one terrifying pooch. "Whoa, so that's what Fenrir looks like…"_

"_What? You never summoned Fenrir before. This wasn't about me training and it was you getting something new and wanting to see what it looks like!" I yelled at my friend._

"_Hey! You might wanna stop yelling at me and stop Fenrir before it eats you!" Jenna taunted._

_I knew Jenna, but I have no idea about how accurate that statement was. So I reclaimed my stance. Buckler first I rushed in. He bit down and blocked and thrusted at him. I connected with his front paw and he yelped. He tried to swipe me away with his other paw. I rolled away and chopped across at the paw I hit the first time. He jumped back and snapped at me with his jaw. I blocked and he took with him my buckler and some of me._

"_Damn, I only learned how to fight with a shield! Call him back!" I yelled at her panicking. Fenrir was covered with bright red symbols and disappeared back into the gate._

"_Hehehe," my friend was laughing at me. "Hahahaha, Oh noes. Big scary puppy eats me all up, save me 'Oh heroic Jennifer'" now she's mocking me._

"_As fun as this conversation is, I have to go home," I said and headed off to my house._

_Heading home I saw my little brother. That's strange I thought to my self. He was crying. Knowing him I figured a kitten meowed at him. When I got closer I had a terrible premonition. I started to jog towards him. The closer I got and the more I saw, the faster I started to run. I saw shards of glass lying on the ground and saw Tyr was cut and bleeding, way worse then my wound from Fenrir's bite. Then I heard sirens from behind. The sirens made my feeling even worse. I got to the house a few seconds before the ambulance. "Daddy's dead," Tyr said between sobs._

Miho looked in front of her and saw a scar on the land. It began five feet in front of her and ran well over 100 yards. There was a flame about thirty feet in front of her, where she a gas main as been hit.

"Hahahaha. She still hates you Miho. You still think it in the back of your mind. Why don't you die and ask her hell yourself. Here, let me help you on your trip!" Zeromus's voice from above said before he unleashed his strongest concentration of dark energy upon Miho.

_Five Years Ago_

_A lot of stuff happened since my father died. Jenna and Elly moved away, there was a university from a far away land that needed Jenna's father's Alchemic abilities. I started to spend more and more time away from home and helping Regal out at the monastery. My mom started to get sick and kept an even closer eye on Tyr. She never lets him out of her sight. He's home schooled now. With out dad at home, there is no one to protect me from her. She keeps getting sicker and sicker. I want to help her, but she calls every attempt at my help poison. She hasn't gotten out of bed for an entire week. She called me in there. Maybe this was it. Maybe she is going to apologize and take the medicine I made for her. I quickly ran and got the medicine and ran to her room._

"_Girl," she addressed me, "why did you bring that poison in here. Aren't I dieing fast enough for you? Well, you want have to wait much longer. I'm going to be gone in awhile and I wanted to tell you before then. I hate you Miho."_

_I dropped the medicine I made for her and ran. I didn't know where I was running too. I just ran. The entire her voice was in my head "I hate you Miho."_

"I hate you Miho"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Miho yelled. The dark energy rushing at her dispersed. The Seraphim was there.

"Not much time now. Uroboros will be here soon. You've brought the end upon this world," The Seraphim said in a monotones voice.

"It's…my…my fault. This world is going to be destroyed and I did it?" Miho was in disbelief.

"Not all blame rests upon you. It's not definite. The world doesn't have to be destroyed. Uroboros can be stopped," The Seraphim informed Miho.

"By you?" Miho asked it.

"No, I'm not allowed to interfere and I must follow Zeromus. He must be stopped above all else," and with that Seraphim vanished.


End file.
